College students about to graduate and other young adults in danger of losing healthcare coverage under their parents' policies may get a break. Three of the nation's largest health insurers announced this week that young adults can remain under their parents' policies until Sept. 23, when a new federal law guarantees them coverage. UnitedHealthcare, WellPoint Inc. and Humana Inc. said they will not wait until President Obama's new healthcare reforms take effect. They include provisions allowing young adults to remain under their parents' health plans until age 26. Other companies may follow their lead, federal officials said.

Dr. Theodore Corwin, a plastic surgeon in Thousand Oaks for the last 30 years, has had run-ins with insurers before, but never one so aggravating - and pointless - as this. A 26-year-old woman recently came to his office complaining of back, neck and shoulder pain, as well as numbness in her hands and arms, resulting from her unusually ample bust. She's 5-foot-6, not overweight, Corwin said. She wanted a breast reduction. "There seemed to be no question that her pain and numbness was caused by her carrying this excessive weight," Corwin told me. "It seemed like a straightforward diagnosis.

Dr. Theodore Corwin, a plastic surgeon in Thousand Oaks for the last 30 years, has had run-ins with insurers before, but never one so aggravating - and pointless - as this. A 26-year-old woman recently came to his office complaining of back, neck and shoulder pain, as well as numbness in her hands and arms, resulting from her unusually ample bust. She's 5-foot-6, not overweight, Corwin said. She wanted a breast reduction. "There seemed to be no question that her pain and numbness was caused by her carrying this excessive weight," Corwin told me. "It seemed like a straightforward diagnosis.

WWHD? What would Dr. Gregory House, television's diagnostician extraordinaire, do at being snubbed in his last chance for an Emmy for his idiopathic series,"House"? Well, that's the beauty part. He wouldn't give a bedpan. Emmy nominations 2012: Snubs and surprises Now, how Hugh Laurie, the actor who plays House so smashingly, may feel about wrapping up his eight-year series as a six-time Emmy bridesmaid, without even a nomination this time, I do not know. He joins the august shutout ranks of Angela Lansbury (18 nominations)

Most major health insurers in California do a poor job of paying claims and providing customer service for members in preferred provider organization plans, according to a new state survey. The evaluation by the California Department of Insurance comes as many workers assess their healthcare options this month before enrolling for another year of insurance benefits through PPO plans that serve 2.5 million people statewide. In the quality report card, Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield of California, Health Net Inc., UnitedHealthcare and Cigna Corp.

WWHD? What would Dr. Gregory House, television's diagnostician extraordinaire, do at being snubbed in his last chance for an Emmy for his idiopathic series,"House"? Well, that's the beauty part. He wouldn't give a bedpan. Emmy nominations 2012: Snubs and surprises Now, how Hugh Laurie, the actor who plays House so smashingly, may feel about wrapping up his eight-year series as a six-time Emmy bridesmaid, without even a nomination this time, I do not know. He joins the august shutout ranks of Angela Lansbury (18 nominations)

The government on Friday added price information to its new website, www.HealthCare.gov , that allows consumers to shop more readily for health insurance on the Internet. The information isn’t precise: The premium costs quoted are estimates only. But it’s valuable nonetheless, highlighting variations between different insurance policies and their potential pocketbook impact. As with many of the government’s healthcare sites, it takes a bit of effort to access the information.

The nation's two largest health insurers have been pressuring employees to lobby against healthcare reform in Congress in violation of a California law against coerced political activity, a consumer group alleged Wednesday. Consumer Watchdog in Santa Monica has asked California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown to investigate its claim that UnitedHealth Group and WellPoint Inc. pushed workers to write their elected officials, attend town hall meetings and enlist family and friends to ensure an overhaul that matches their interests.

For the seventh consecutive year, Kaiser Permanente ranked highest in customer satisfaction for health insurance among California policyholders, according to ratings firm J.D. Power & Associates. But two other major rivals -- Blue Shield of California and Anthem Blue Cross -- scored the lowest on member satisfaction among seven California health plans. In its annual survey, J.D. Power surveyed more than 34,000 customers of 136 commercial health plans in December and January in 18 regions across the country.

Most major health insurers in California do a poor job of paying claims and providing customer service for members in preferred provider organization plans, according to a new state survey. The evaluation by the California Department of Insurance comes as many workers assess their healthcare options this month before enrolling for another year of insurance benefits through PPO plans that serve 2.5 million people statewide. In the quality report card, Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield of California, Health Net Inc., UnitedHealthcare and Cigna Corp.

The government on Friday added price information to its new website, www.HealthCare.gov , that allows consumers to shop more readily for health insurance on the Internet. The information isn’t precise: The premium costs quoted are estimates only. But it’s valuable nonetheless, highlighting variations between different insurance policies and their potential pocketbook impact. As with many of the government’s healthcare sites, it takes a bit of effort to access the information.

College students about to graduate and other young adults in danger of losing healthcare coverage under their parents' policies may get a break. Three of the nation's largest health insurers announced this week that young adults can remain under their parents' policies until Sept. 23, when a new federal law guarantees them coverage. UnitedHealthcare, WellPoint Inc. and Humana Inc. said they will not wait until President Obama's new healthcare reforms take effect. They include provisions allowing young adults to remain under their parents' health plans until age 26. Other companies may follow their lead, federal officials said.

The nation's two largest health insurers have been pressuring employees to lobby against healthcare reform in Congress in violation of a California law against coerced political activity, a consumer group alleged Wednesday. Consumer Watchdog in Santa Monica has asked California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown to investigate its claim that UnitedHealth Group and WellPoint Inc. pushed workers to write their elected officials, attend town hall meetings and enlist family and friends to ensure an overhaul that matches their interests.

Kaiser Permanente, California's largest nonprofit health plan, ranked highest in employer satisfaction nationwide in the latest J.D. Power and Associates study. The study, now in its third year, asked employers about service, benefit design, problem resolution, cost and other measures. Kaiser led all fully insured plans with a score of 716 out of 1,000 total points. Aetna Inc. scored highest for employer self-funded plans with 680 points. In the fully insured category, two of the industry's biggest companies - UnitedHealthcare and WellPoint - scored below average.

Kaiser Permanente was the only HMO to earn a top four-star rating for providing recommended care on California's annual report card, while Cigna and UnitedHealthcare led the way with three-star ratings among PPO plans. The report issued Wednesday on California's biggest HMOs and other health insurance plans showed improvement in care for children, but mixed results for treating adults with chronic medical conditions. These quality ratings and patient satisfaction scores focus on California's 10 largest HMOs, six biggest preferred-provider organization plans and 209 medical groups covering about 16 million consumers.